Freedom of speech and expression is regarded as the first condition of liberty. Freedom of speech plays a crucial role in the formation of public opinion on social, political and economic matters. It embraces within its scope, the freedom of propagation and interchange of ideas, dissemination of information which would help formation of one’s opinion and viewpoint and debates on matters of public concerns. [1] Freedom of speech and expression implies the right to express one 's own convictions and opinions freely by words of mouth, writing, printing, pictures or any other mode. The phrase ‘speech and expression’ used in Article 19(1)(a) has broad connotation.
What is freedom? Freedom is the power to act, speak, or think as one wants to without restraint. Freedom is a very special power that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Freedom is a very special gift given to us from our family fathers. It gives us the right to act like we want to.
Freedom of expression protects everyone to be allowed to express themselves freely. Without this guaranteed freedom, peculiar opinions would be not be heard in fear of retribution, change and progress would stop and all of the other freedoms listed in the Constitution and all of the amendments that follow would no longer exist. I believe the foundation to the other amendments would be Freedom of expression. It is what holds the constitution together and what allows the people to have a say in its government. According to IIP digital “The U.S. Constitution’s protection of freedom of expression embodies the notion that an individual’s ability to express himself freely — without fear of government punishment — produces the autonomy and liberty that promote better governance.
The right to speak is one of the fundamental human rights to maintain a democracy which is defined by the people. Besides that, freedom of speech is to speak without being fear of censoring. Everyone ought to know the situation of their country and have access of information in order to trust the country and the government. Additionally, protecting freedom of speech at all costs is to insulate the speech made regardless of the price that some might have to pay. Freedom of speech is indeed a basic human right, but does protecting free speech includes hate speech?
The respect of human rights is a central feature of a constitutional democracy. Human rights protect people from the actions of those who exercise power over them and helps to create a world in which a person could reach his full potential as a human being. We are entitled to have our human rights protected and promoted simply because human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This means that human status whether its nationality place of residence, color, sex, Ethnic color, religion or any other status humans are all entitled to fundamental human rights. Democracy insures that no one is subjected to violating human dignity and rights.
For this role, mass media have to value its traditional, high standards for accuracy, sourcing and objectivity. Independence of the Media The freedom of the press is in fact a matter of a balance between the desire of the authorities to control the media and the ability of the media to resist such attempts. This balance is closely tied to the independence of the media. So the concept of independence (including economic independence) of the press is one closely linked with the concept of press
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy defined human rights as basic moral guarantees that people from different countries and cultures can have simply because they are people. In simpler words, these are the rights a human being possesses for he is simply a human being. To be able to live with pride, the human rights are standards that have to be met by them. According to Rosebum Alan's definition, human rights are a legitimate basis for a universal human community. Furthermore, he stated that such association rooted in democracy is most befitting with humanity.
The freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, voting rights, and equal protection under the law are examples of civil rights. Based on my research, many people believe the freedom of speech is the most important right that influences individuals to allow themselves to express their beliefs without fear of interference or interruption. Civil liberties are the basic freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Right, it is substantial because they guard or protect the rights
Introduction: “Freedom of speech is guaranteed and protected by the first amendment of the United States constitution.” (Newseum, 1997) Connotations of freedom of speech have varied in different eras of history. Part of the bills of rights in the first amendment forbids national government from limiting freedom of expression. Freedom of speech refers to a person’s right to say, write and express what he or she believes. Freedom of speech provides open platform for debate. “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, commission of or incitement to an offence.” It is stated in the article 19 of the constitution of Pakistan.
But through numerous judicial pronouncements of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and various High Courts, today it is well settled that right to privacy is integral part of Article 21 of our Constitution. Article 21 of the Constitution enshrines the right to life and personal liberty. It is one of the most basic Fundamental Right of the Constitution. Article 21 has proved to be a very fruitful source of rights of the people. By the term ‘life’ as is used here something more is meant than mere animal existence.